Nicolae Ceausescu

Banned abortion in 1966 in an attempt to increase Romania's population

Demolished large parts of Bucharest to redesign city

Son-in-law Mircea Oprean was quoted as saying that he thought the remains were probably those of the Ceausescus, though he could not be sure until the tests were done.

"I saw the bodies, my father-in-law's was quite well preserved, I recognized his black winter coat with some holes in it," he said, according to the AFP news agency.

Gelu Voican-Voiculesc, a former official from the government that took power after Ceausescu's fall, supervised the burial in 1989 and said the tests would prove that he had always been right.

"The Ceausescus' remains will definitely be found in those tombs," he said.

"I hope those who have harassed me for years with all sorts of accusations will now apologise."

The DNA tests could take up to six months, according to Romanian media reports.

"I hope that the DNA is not altered by water, fertilisers or acidic substances, because, if this is the case, it will be very difficult to obtain a very precise result," Dan Dermengiu, the head of Romania's national institute of legal medicine, told Realitatea TV.